A Tokyo carmaker with a 1917 origin, a Chrysler era in America, world-class rally wins and a long run of alliances with Nissan and Renault.
Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese automaker based in Minato, Tokyo, formed in 1970 as a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries subsidiary. Its lineage traces back to the 1917 Model A, and it has taken Dakar Rally and World Rally Championship titles. Nissan now holds a significant stake in the firm.
Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was formed in 1970 from the automotive division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, but its roots reach back to the 1917 Model A. Since October 2016 it has been part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Where do Mitsubishi's automotive origins begin?
Mitsubishi's automotive story starts in 1917 with the Mitsubishi Model A, which was Japan's first series-production automobile. It was a hand-built seven-seater sedan based on the FIAT Tipo 3, and it proved expensive compared with mass-produced rivals from America and Europe. The car was discontinued in 1921 after only 22 had been built.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries came together in 1934 when shipbuilding and aircraft firms merged. The unified group made aircraft, ships, railroad cars and machinery, and it kept a car programme alive with the PX33 prototype of 1937, the first Japanese-built car with full-time four-wheel drive.
That four-wheel drive idea returned decades later in the company's motorsport and sales work. The 1937 prototype therefore sits at the start of a line that runs through the Pajero and the rally cars of later years.
From a 1917 hand-built sedan to seven consecutive Dakar wins, the three diamonds have a long memory.
Why does the Mitsubishi logo show three red diamonds?
The logo of three red diamonds was chosen by the company's founder, Iwasaki Yataro. It was suggestive of the emblem of the Tosa clan, which first employed him, and it echoed the three rhombi that formed his own family crest. The emblem was chosen by the founder himself, which gave it a personal origin.
The name Mitsubishi translates literally as three water caltrop, and the water caltrop is a plant whose leaves form a rhombus. The rhombus is reflected in the company's logo, so the badge and the name make the same point in two ways.
The emblem therefore began as a family and clan symbol before it became a car badge, which is why the diamonds still sit at the centre of the brand's identity.
When and how was Mitsubishi Motors formed?
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was formed on 22 April 1970 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The new company was led by Tomio Kubo, an engineer from the aircraft division.
The idea behind the new company was to focus the group's car and commercial vehicle work in one place. The first Galant had launched in 1969, the year before the new company was formed.
Within three years of the 1964 reintegration of the group, output was over 75,000 vehicles a year. That growth gave the new car company a solid base from which to plan its expansion abroad.
What did the Chrysler partnership bring to Mitsubishi?
In 1971 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries sold the American automaker Chrysler a 15% share in the new company. The deal helped Chrysler sell the Galant in the United States as the Dodge Colt, and annual production grew from 500,000 vehicles in 1973 to 965,000 in 1978.
The Galant also travelled under other names. In 1977 it was sold in Australia as the Chrysler Sigma, and in 1978 it became the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Sapporo as Chrysler began selling it in those forms. Each rebadged version gave the Mitsubishi design a new market.
The partnership was not without friction. Chrysler felt that Mitsubishi's Japanese partners were encroaching on its overseas markets for subcompacts, while Mitsubishi believed the Americans wanted too much say in its corporate decisions.
How did Mitsubishi enter the US market?
The Mitsubishi brand arrived in America in 1982 through 70 dealers in 22 states. The early range included the Tredia sedan and the Cordia and Starion coupes.
Chrysler held the right of first refusal on Mitsubishi automobiles in the US market until 1990, which shaped how the brand could grow there. The two companies then agreed to build cars together in Normal, Illinois.
Diamond-Star Motors was incorporated in October 1985 as a 50/50 venture between the two groups. The factory in Normal, Illinois offered an annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles when it was completed in 1988, and its first cars were the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser.
Which Mitsubishi models defined the 1990s?
The Pajero was the model that set the tone for Mitsubishi's SUV push. Its sales were popular even in the crowded streets of Japan.
The four-wheel drive range was broad, running from the Pajero Mini kei car to the Delica Space Gear passenger van. These models were carried by the surge in demand for sport utility vehicles in Japan during the early and mid-1990s, and the company's SUV line-up helped it grow in the domestic market.
The Pajero also carried the Dakar Rally story, which began in 1983 with the new Pajero as Mitsubishi's maiden entry. The same model line therefore linked the showroom with the most demanding rally in the world, and the link helped build the brand's reputation for toughness.
How successful has Mitsubishi been at the Dakar Rally?
Mitsubishi is the most successful manufacturer in the history of the Dakar Rally. Its maiden entry in 1983 used the new Pajero. Wins followed in 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998, before the company took seven consecutive victories from 2001 to 2007.
The seven-year run from 2001 to 2007 is the strongest sequence in the event for the marque. Those victories came after the company had already built a long history in long-distance rallying, which made the Dakar results the culmination of years of development.
The Dakar record reflects a broader approach to motorsport that combined event entries with production models. Mitsubishi used the rally to test its vehicles under the harshest conditions, and the results went back into the showroom range.
How did Mitsubishi build its world rally reputation?
Mitsubishi's rally programme began to win on the world stage in the 1970s. The Lancer 1600 GSR was developed for the East African Safari Rally and won at the first attempt in 1974. Its clean sweep of the podium in 1976 remains a landmark, in an event where only a small share of starters typically reached the finish.
The company also scored a 1-2-3-4 finish at the 1973 Southern Cross Rally. The Galant VR-4 later delivered the first outright Group A victories in the late 1980s, and the Lancer Evolution was homologated for World Rally Championship competition afterwards.
In the hands of Tommi Makinen, the Lancer Evolution won the drivers' title four consecutive years, from 1996 to 1999. Mitsubishi won the manufacturers' championship in 1998, and the brand has won 34 World Rally Championship events since 1973.
What were Mitsubishi's early circuit racing results?
Mitsubishi's motorsport debut came in 1962 at the Macau Grand Prix. Its Mitsubishi 500 Super DeLuxe swept the top four places in the Under 750 cc class, a result that gave the new brand an early and visible win.
The company returned in 1963 with the Colt 600, which took a 1-2-3 in the Under 600 cc class. In 1964 the Colt 1000 delivered a podium clean sweep in the 750-1000 cc class, and the firm moved on to open-wheel formula cars.
The biggest circuit result came at the 1971 Japan GP, where a two-litre DOHC F2000 gave Mitsubishi an overall 1-2. The victory placed the marque at the top of Japanese circuit racing.
What went wrong for Mitsubishi in the late 1990s and 2000s?
The early 2000s were a difficult period for Mitsubishi, and the problems that followed were serious enough to change the company's shareholders.
The worst blow was the defect cover-up. The company admitted to concealing defects in 2000 and again in 2004, when it confessed to 26 more going back to 1977. The recall of 163,707 cars, 156,433 in Japan and 7,274 overseas, cost the company heavily.
The company then needed a rescue. A 540 billion yen emergency package in 2005 brought Mitsubishi Heavy Industries back in as a shareholder, with a 15% stake, and the company shed 10,000 jobs to cut costs. Its first profitable quarter in four years came in the third quarter of 2006.
What was the zero-percent finance scandal?
In an effort to boost US sales in the early 2000s, the company offered a zero-percent finance deal. The scheme caused heavy losses, and the company found its finance arm under strain as a result.
The losses showed how quickly a sales push can turn into a financial problem when the buyers cannot keep up their repayments.
The Adelaide assembly plant in Australia was also closed. Mitsubishi Motors Australia announced the closure on 5 February 2008, and between 700 and 1,000 direct jobs were lost.
How did Mitsubishi move into electric cars?
Mitsubishi started selling the i MiEV, an all-electric minicar with a lithium-ion battery pack under its floor, to retail customers in summer 2009. The launch made the model one of the earliest retail electric cars from a major Japanese maker.
The company had earlier introduced the i kei car in 2006, which won awards. Mitsubishi also announced a plan to introduce eight hybrid and battery-powered models by 2015, which set a clear timetable for its electrification strategy.
How did the Nissan alliance change Mitsubishi?
Nissan acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi after the fuel economy scandal in 2016, paying 237.4 billion yen (US$2.2 billion) for the controlling interest. The scandal affected 625,000 cars produced by the joint venture known as NMKV, and it changed the balance of power in the partnership.
Tetsuro Aikawa resigned as president in June 2016, after the mileage scandal had reshaped the company's ownership and management.
Osamu Masuko led the company from 2005 to 2020, and Takao Kato has been president since 2020. The leadership changes came as the alliance deepened.
Which markets has Mitsubishi left?
Mitsubishi Motors announced that it would leave the UK market by autumn 2021, for financial reasons. Since then the company's British presence has been limited to aftersales service, which means the brand is no longer selling new cars there.
In October 2023 the company also announced its withdrawal from GAC Mitsubishi in China. The exit left Mitsubishi with a narrower presence in the world's largest car market.
What are the key Mitsubishi models and figures?
The table lists selected Mitsubishi models with the year, the defining figure and the role each car played in the range. Where a model had more than one version, the figure shown is the one that best describes the car, so the range is not blended into a single number.
| Model | Year | Defining figure | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Model A | 1917 | 22 built before 1921 | Japan's first series-production automobile |
| PX33 prototype | 1937 | Full-time four-wheel drive | First Japanese-built car with that system |
| Colt 1000 | 1963 | Podium clean sweep in the 750-1000 cc class in 1964 | First of the Colt family cars |
| Debonair | 1964 | Largest passenger sedan of the period | Luxury car for the Japanese market |
| Galant | 1969 | Sold as the Dodge Colt in the US | First Galant, built under the Chrysler partnership |
| Pajero | 1983 | Dakar debut, seven consecutive wins 2001 to 2007 | Off-road and SUV flagship |
| Lancer 1600 GSR | 1974 | East African Safari Rally win at first attempt | Rally car built for the marathon event |
| i MiEV | 2009 | Lithium-ion battery under the floor | All-electric minicar |
Frequently asked questions
How many Dakar wins has Mitsubishi recorded?
The company has won in 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998, and then took seven consecutive victories between 2001 and 2007. It is the most successful manufacturer in the event's history.
What is the Jackie Chan link?
Mitsubishi has had a 30-year association with the actor Jackie Chan, who used its vehicles almost exclusively in his films. The Jackie Chan Cup, first held in 1984, is an annual celebrity race, and in September 2005 the company's Ralliart arm built 50 Jackie Chan Special Edition versions of the Lancer Evo IX.
When did the company stop competing?
Ralliart, Mitsubishi's racing subsidiary, ceased formal competition in 2010. The company's motorsport heritage nevertheless spans more than half a century, from the 1962 Macau debut onwards.
What is the company's current leader's background?
Takao Kato has been president since 2020, succeeding Osamu Masuko, who led the company from 2005. The change came after a period of alliance restructuring and the earlier resignation of Tetsuro Aikawa.
